chauffeur
Americannoun
-
chauffeurs
plural
-
a person employed to drive a private automobile or limousine for the owner.
-
a person employed to drive a car or limousine that transports paying passengers.
verb (used with object)
-
chauffeurs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chauffeured,
past participle, past
-
chauffeuring
present participle
-
to drive (a vehicle) as a chauffeur.
-
to transport by car.
Saturday mornings I have to chauffeur the kids to their music lessons.
verb (used without object)
-
chauffeurs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chauffeured,
past participle, past
-
chauffeuring
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chauffeursimple
-
chauffeurssimple
-
have chauffeuredperfect
-
has chauffeuredperfect
-
am chauffeuringprogressive
-
are chauffeuringprogressive
-
is chauffeuringprogressive
-
have been chauffeuringperfect progressive
-
has been chauffeuringperfect progressive
Past
-
chauffeuredsimple
-
had chauffeuredperfect
-
was chauffeuringprogressive
-
were chauffeuringprogressive
-
had been chauffeuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chauffeur
1895–1900; < French, equivalent to chauff(er ) to heat ( see chafe) + -eur -eur
Explanation
Do you pay someone to drive you around? Then you have a private chauffeur. Chauffeur literally means "operator of a steam engine" in French, but they used it as a nickname for the first motorists who drove steam engine cars. Today chauffeurs are just the guys you pay to drive you around, like the chauffeur of a limo. Chauffeur can also be used as a verb: once you get your driver's license, your parents will be happy to not have to chauffeur you back and forth to school.
Vocabulary lists containing chauffeur
English Words Derived from French, List 3
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List 10
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A Confederacy of Dunces
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sami is an IT manager, chauffeur and ticket reseller in addition to his social-media-influencer aspirations, which seem to be built around his proximity to famous faces.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
As a young chauffeur, Bennett had all sorts of driving duties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
True crime and mystery: As with Raymond Chandler, you don’t read “Shadow Ticket” expecting to find out who killed the chauffeur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
His father worked as a chauffeur and mechanic for the family that lived in the large house in front of their home, where his mother sometimes cooked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
In fact, the chauffeur was a diminutive fellow almost lost behind the front wheel.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Items Manifold listed at the time included the use of chauffeurs and private jets, and blocks of tickets to Wimbledon tennis matches purchased for employees and clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
The business, which also offered customers access to jets, homes and chauffeurs, gained a loyal following among local rappers and social media influencers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
John Lennon, who in life was such a terrible driver that he hired chauffeurs for the safety of those around him, is in command of the main spaceship.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2023
Everything from food to chauffeurs is one-fourth the price of Manhattan.
From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2021
Not only did they protect him, but he used them to run errands, serve as chauffeurs and occasional dinner companions, and be available to do whatever else he wanted at any hour.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Infantino arrived at Fifa's offices in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday in now-familiar fashion, chauffeured to the building in a motorcade, sitting in the back of a Mercedes with blacked out windows.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Last year, a top Orlando-area quarterback revealed his move to Edison in a video that showed him traveling to Miami by private plane, where Campbell ushered him into a chauffeured Mercedes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Many new branded schemes feature private members' clubs, wellness facilities and exclusive services - from chauffeured cars and yacht access, to private jet partnerships.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
Nearly every Saturday morning my mother ferried me to and from synagogue; in the evening she chauffeured me to whichever hotel ballroom was hosting the reception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
Looking back on that day, I’m reminded of a story Loomis told me about his uncle in Macon who chauffeured a bride and groom around the state on their wedding trip.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
For instance, the decision allowed Sami to keep certain write-offs, such as most of his car expenses for a chauffeuring service he owns.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
TBR Global Chauffeuring, a luxury chauffeuring company that Lyft acquired last year, saw its strongest month on record in June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
To Los Angeles City Council members searching desperately for cuts amid a budget crisis, the Fire Department’s emergency incident technicians are “drivers” whose main role is chauffeuring battalion chiefs to emergencies.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
They are thankful to American Airlines for getting them here and assisting them by chauffeuring them from hospital to hospital in search of their son.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2023
“More money in chauffeuring and dog-sitting,” she mumbled.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
